The world one can not see. The dangers one can

After some time, the purple mist cleared, drifting to the darker corners of the cave. Then, sight and sound returned, and the crowd cheered. They whispered amongst themselves, causing a mismatch of noises to echo. Amidst all these voices and accents, a question arose.

What was that voice?

Who was it?

Where did it come from?

For a moment, no one had an answer, only more questions. 

However, the sounds of engines and gears interrupted their conversations. The guests became startled and looked for the source.

It took a few seconds, but they found it.

Above the Venue–a woman elevated, using the metallic, gold platform that loomed beneath her. The machine had purple lines on the flanks, and a sky-blue mist slowly emitting from a pipe below. 

Most guests who saw it appreciated the work silently. Afterward, they murmured amongst themselves.

"Is that, Lenna? So different, cruel…"

"That machine looks weird… Has her skill upgraded?"

"She seems to have changed a lot."

"I want cheese."

"Can we get this over with?"

Speculations flew back and forth. Bad and good, it was. Simple and complex, it also was.

 As the talk continued, Lenna surveyed the crowd with an icy gaze, observing their faces with a keen eye.

'So it seems like everyone arrived. Enemy and friend. How splendid!' thought Lenna, lips twitching. 

She took a deep breath and whispered motivational speeches to herself. Lenna forced a smile and waved at the guest.

"Please, can you all be quiet?" Lenna uttered, closing her eyes. Soon after, the noise quieted down. It was like a switch had been clicked. All eyes fell on her.

Hands shivered. The weight of this occasion dawned on her. But Lenna continued her speech: "I thank you all for coming to this event. Despite knowing the risk and danger, you all agreed. For that—I am deeply thankful.

"So, to begin this meeting, I would like to introduce a concept, so please, watch and listen closely." Lenna swiped the air. Afterward, a myriad of floating screens materialized above, shining with a dim blue glow. An illusory white thread connected each.

Fingers pointed at the sudden apparition. Certain figures hidden in the crowd trembled; their eyes locked on Lenna. Everybody fidgeted–except the children, as only confusion braced their minds. One of them being Alistair.

"Why is everyone reacting so surprised?" Alistair whispered with a hint of shock and fear. He observed the shiver that went through everyone's body. So, with a squint, Alistair peeked at the screen. Then he saw. 

The screen had images of a decrepit landscape. Smoke arose from the charred soil. It snaked to the sky and painted the clouds pitch-black. Heavy rainfall descended, forming endless black puddles next to countless mountains. 

Mountains of corpses, lifeless. Whatever being that did this stacked them together like cattle, and the surrounding machines were the harvesters. Monstrous objects constructed by squirming flesh and rusting steel: it was a sin against eyes, and a sin against life. 

Broken and incorrigible noises emitted from their metallic frames; "Resource. Energy. Ether. Disease. Steel."

Their once monotonous operation broke. Wailing sounds shot to the sky. Some started to crawl away from this hellscape. Others took off and out of the atmosphere. Smaller versions swam in the puddles and dug into the earth. They all had their ways.

It was only after a couple of seconds, did a change occur. 

A blue beam shot past the planet's surface, smiting the back sky and striking the spot. Its thunderous descent caused tsunamis. Earthquakes surged. Volcanoes erupted. Tornadoes materialized. Every natural disaster happened simultaneously. 

The light soon filled the screen. It left a familiar wreckage, and a scorched 10000-meter-deep crater.

…

The video paused, and Lenna looked back to the visitors. Silence. Fear. Hate. Worship. Regret. Joy.

If emotions were colors, the crowd were now abstract artists. 

Everyone felt uncomfortable standing on these ruins. Because that's what they were—ruins. This wasn't a cave. The people here knew that much. The previously calm atmosphere disappeared, leaving behind a hair-raising feeling, like something would pop out of the walls the next second.

No one wanted to be that guy standing in the wrong place. 

However, their fright meant nothing to Lenna. She flicked her fingers, and the screen changed. Now, yellow-coated workers and bronze robots built massive machines filled with gears around the pit. Days passed. Months. Years. They had covered the hole with a mushroom-shaped building made of steel. 

"Next," Lenna flicked again. Underneath the building were countless monoliths, machines, and rubies. A couple of ethernics got to work, and the screens vanished.

Harsh breaths passed through the cave. This time, they didn't go into a conversation frenzy. Instead, they waited. All eyes looked up. Some hoped the view would return; some prayed never to see it again.

Lenna smiled. This was the reaction she wanted. 

"This is the reason I invited you all today," she declared: "To see the past. To leave the present. To be part of the future. 

"For years, we have been at a standstill. Suffering plagued us. It reared its ugly head and mocked us as we fought. Killed ourselves with no end in sight.

"However, that will change. For I Lenna Sinclair presents to you. The future."

The object, similar to the ethernics engine, morphed. The guests shifted their eyes, glancing toward it with shocked gazes.

The engine shed its metallic frame, flinging it to the wind, and letting it burn. Now, it looked less like a machine. Tentacles replaced its wires. Bones slithered around the pipes. Holes opened, and in their depths were a hundred eyes. They scanned the entire space like a naïve child, flashing rapidly with red and blue.

Seeing the predatory gaze, people below gasped and prepared for battle. Commands issued, and panic arose. However, there were no signs of attack, so they all calmed down. Some of them did.

Alistair didn't. His heart was racing. 

The voice of Lenna blurred, echoed, and broke. 

Yet, he picked out the words: "We shall use their forces against them. This… factory… ethergene… rust… death."

The sight blurred, and the eyes shrunk.

'What is happening? Am I being attacked–" 

Balance disappeared, and he staggered and shook. 

The ground opened up and swallowed him.

Frost seeped from his throat. Mouth began to itch.

After, he found himself in an empty, dark alleyway. The sounds of raindrops echoed, accompanied by a flash of lightning. Alistair looked at the sky. And a thousand water drops welcomed his face. It smudged his clothes and soaked him. 

With another flash of lightning, his clothing twisted and turned red. Blood spread across the alley. 

Stars dwindled in the sky.

Cracks materialized in space. 

Hands passed through the cracks. 

The world split.

Darkness descended.

Silence.

"LOOK LEFT"

A sound arrived. The cave returned. Alistair woke.

He quickly turned left. 

 A couple of meters away, he saw a guard possessing a cube. The fleshy cube squirmed around the man's palms, before sprouting eyes and staring at Alistair.

"What–"

Then the cave exploded.